Long Beach Expo

Abandoned, Historic Michael Jordan Items Will Be On Display at Long Beach Expo

January 15, 2014

Michael Jordan's 1986 University of North Carolina diploma is one of the basketball superstar's historic college-era items that will be displayed at the Long Beach Coin, Currency, Stamp & Sports Collectible Expo, January 30 - February 1, 2014. (Photos courtesy of Goldin Auctions.)

The three-day show will be held in the Long Beach, California Convention Center, 100 S. Pine Ave.

The Jordan items include his 1986 University of North Carolina diploma, and 1980 and 1981 recruitment letters to Jordan from Dean Smith and Bill Guthridge, then the Head Coach and Assistant Coach of the school's basketball team.

The items will be displayed courtesy of Goldin Auctions (www.GoldinAuctions.com) booth #1348 in advance of the company's upcoming February 7 sports memorabilia auction. Company Founder Ken Goldin says the historic pieces had been displayed at Jordan's appropriately named "23" restaurant in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

"When the restaurant closed, the memorabilia and other items from there were kept at a public storage facility. Amazingly, the memorabilia was obtained when the contents of the abandoned storage unit were purchased at a public auction," explained Goldin.

Admission to the Long Beach Expo is $8 for adults, $4 for seniors and children aged 8 to 16. However, as part of the show's 50th anniversary celebration, anyone can get a free admission coupon online for the upcoming show.

There will be educational seminars and club meetings during the show, and special coin and stamp collecting activities for children on Saturday, February 1. More than 500 dealers will be buying and selling gold and silver coins, paper money, stamps, postcards, sports memorabilia, historical documents, estate jewelry and other collectibles. Many of the dealers offer free, informal appraisals for the public.